Whisky: Auchentoshan 18 Year SMWS “Around the Clock”

Country/Region: Scotland/Lowland

ABV: 55.8%

Cask: First Fill Bourbon Barrels

Age: 18 Years (Distilled Jan. 2003)

Nose: Grassy with tea, herbal tobacco, catnip, mint, mellow butterscotch, mashed green banana, hints of licorice, chocolate, and earthy clay.

Palate: Medium-bodied and herbal with black tea, lime wedges, thyme, rock salt, lime leaves, hints of licorice and honey, raspberry and berries at the end, which came on stronger with water.

Finish: Medium-length and waxy with lime and herbal tea.

Score: 6

Mental Image: Turnip’s Catnip Soda

Narrative & Notes: Bright and herbal on the nose with hints of earth, chocolate, and licorice behind tobacco, menthol, catnip, and butterscotch. Mashed green apple bananas emerged from a generally indistinct fruitiness that always seemed to approach more distinct notes without coming together. The dram was medium-bodied and herbal on the palate with black tea, thyme, salt, and loads of lime wedges and lime leaves. Hints of licorice, sweet honey, and berries appeared at the end and came on stronger with a few drops of water. The herbal-fruity profile was somewhere between an intriguingly herbal cupcake or a hipster soda (obviously, I went with a soda intended for cats with my imagery). The finish was medium length with occasionally longer hits of drying herbal tea, waxiness, and lime.

Alternatively known as “Lime and Thyme” outside of the United States (a name that made a bit more sense), this SMWS “rare release” was created by vatting together several barrels of eighteen-year-old Auchentoshan. The bottle was part of the 2022 Festival Series representing the Lowlands. At our whisky club festival tasting, it was not terribly well-received. I do not remember anyone expressing a strong dislike for it, but there were quite a few shrugs and certainly no strong proponents of the whisky.

Overall, I thought this was a fine single malt, and in theory, I do like the idea of SMWS offering vattings so Festival releases can enjoy a wider circulation. Yet, this bottle was one of a few that felt muddled and unclear, as if the unique flavor profile of the individual casks was lost in translation. I did not feel that way about all the releases, but a few felt less special as a result. I hope in the future, the Society will consider doing a mix of special single casks and small-batch releases for the festival season.